peer

== English == === Etymology 1 === From Middle English peren, pyren, piren (“to peer, gaze”), perhaps from Old English *pȳran (“to look, peer”), from Proto-West Germanic *pūrijan (“to look”), related to Saterland Frisian pierje (“to look”), Dutch Low Saxon piren (“to look”), West Flemish pieren (“to look with narrowed eyes, squint at”), Dutch pieren (“to look closely at, examine”), Middle English pouren (“to gaze, look closely”), English pore (“to study meticulously”). Compare also West Frisian pluere (“to peer”), Dutch pluren (“to gaze squintingly”), German Low German plieren (“to blink”), Danish plire (“to peer”), Swedish plira, blira (“to peer”), and thence ultimately related to the root of English blear. The sense meaning "to be visible" is perhaps from a shortening of appear. ==== Alternative forms ==== pire, pyre (obsolete or dialectal) ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɪə/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /pɪː/, /pɪjə/ (General American) enPR: pîr, IPA(key): /pɪɹ/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /niə̯/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /piɾ/ (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /pɛː/ Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ) Homophones: pier; pair, pare, pear (all cheer–chair merger) ==== Verb ==== peer (third-person singular simple present peers, present participle peering, simple past and past participle peered) (intransitive) To look with difficulty, or as if searching for something. 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Lyrical Ballads, London: J. & A. Arch, Part III, p. 17,[1] And strait the Sun was fleck’d with bars (Heaven’s mother send us grace) As if thro’ a dungeon grate he peer’d With broad and burning face. (intransitive, obsolete) To come in sight; to appear. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== peer (plural peers) A look; a glance. ==== References ==== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English per, pere, from Anglo-Norman peir, Old French per, from Latin pār. Doublet of pair and par. ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɪə̯/ (General American) enPR: pîr, IPA(key): /pɪɹ/ Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ) Homophone: pier ==== Noun ==== peer (plural peers) Somebody who is, or something that is, at a level or of a value equal (to that of something else). Synonym: compeer Someone who is approximately the same age (as someone else). A noble with a title, i.e., a peerage, and in times past, with certain rights and privileges not enjoyed by commoners. A comrade; a companion; an associate. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== peer (third-person singular simple present peers, present participle peering, simple past and past participle peered) To make equal in rank. (Internet) To carry communications traffic terminating on one's own network on an equivalency basis to and from another network, usually without charge or payment. Contrast with transit where one pays another network provider to carry one's traffic. === Etymology 3 === pee +‎ -er ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /piː.ə/ (General American) enPR: pîr, IPA(key): /pi.ɚ/ ==== Noun ==== peer (plural peers) (informal) Someone who pees, someone who urinates. === Anagrams === père, Pree, pree, Reep, Pere, pere == Afrikaans == === Etymology === From Dutch peer, from Middle Dutch pēre, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from Latin pirum. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pɪə̯r/ === Noun === peer (plural pere) pear == Dutch == === Etymology === From Middle Dutch pēre, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from Latin pirum. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /peːr/ Hyphenation: peer Rhymes: -eːr === Noun === peer f (plural peren, diminutive peertje n) a pear, a fruit of the pear tree a light bulb ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Afrikaans: peer Jersey Dutch: pêr → Aukan: peli → Indonesian: pir → Saramaccan: péíli (from the diminutive form) === Noun === peer m (plural peren, diminutive peertje n) a pear tree, Pyrus communis === Anagrams === reep == Estonian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈpeːr/, [ˈpeːr] === Etymology 1 === From Proto-Finnic *peeru. ==== Noun ==== peer (genitive peeru, partitive peeru) (colloquial) fart Synonym: puuks ===== Declension ===== === Etymology 2 === From French pair. ==== Noun ==== peer (genitive peeri, partitive peeri) (historical) peer (member of high nobility with certain political privileges) (politics) peer (member of the UK House of Lords) Synonym: lord ===== Declension ===== === Further reading === peer in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut) “peer”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009 “peer”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN == Middle English == === Noun === peer alternative form of per (“peer”) === Adjective === peer alternative form of per (“equal”) == Scots == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pir/ === Etymology 1 === From Middle English pere (“pear”), from Old English pere, peru, from Vulgar Latin *pira, from Latin pirum. ==== Noun ==== peer (plural peers) pear (fruit) ===== Derived terms ===== peerie === Etymology 2 === From Middle English piren (“to peer”). ==== Verb ==== peer (third-person singular simple present peers, present participle peerin, simple past and past participle peert) To peer. == Spanish == === Etymology === Inherited from Latin pēdere, pēdō, from Proto-Italic *pezdō from Proto-Indo-European *pesd-. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /peˈeɾ/ [peˈeɾ] Rhymes: -eɾ Syllabification: pe‧er === Verb === peer (first-person singular present peo, first-person singular preterite peí, past participle peído) (sometimes reflexive, vulgar, colloquial, uncommon) to break wind, to fart ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “peer”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025